LEADER

Ali Bongo was sworn in for a second seven-year term in September 2016, after Gabon's constitutional court upheld his narrow victory in a bitterly disputed election.

Main rival Jean Ping described the court's decision as a "miscarriage of justice" amid opposition claims of vote fraud.

Mr Bongo took over from his late father Omar, who ruled Gabon for 41 years until his death in 2009.

He pledged to address some of the issues that have fuelled anger among the country's 1.8 million people, like youth unemployment and over-reliance on falling oil revenues

But his presidency has been overshadowed by a long-running French investigation into allegations of embezzlement involving the Bongo family's assets.

He narrowly won re-election in 2016 in a poll marred by violence and accusations of fraud, and reportedly suffered a stroke in October 2018 that led to concerns about his ability to carry out his duties.